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Residents urge Lincoln council to reject or slow cuts to police, fire and recreation at heated budget hearing
Summary
Dozens of residents pressed the Lincoln Town Council during a public hearing to reject or delay Councilor David Ireland’s proposed FY2027 budget amendments, citing threats to emergency response, recreation programs and transparency; the meeting adjourned after a 7-0 vote.
Dozens of Lincoln residents packed a public hearing to oppose proposed FY2027 budget amendments that they said would cut police, fire, EMS and recreation services and leave the town less safe and less attractive to families and businesses.
The hearing drew repeated pleas for clearer numbers and for the council to follow the town charter’s requirements for itemized statements. "I'm here tonight to speak on behalf of over 550 Lincoln residents who signed the petition to revise the budget adopted on June 22 and bring this matter to referendum," said Erica Millett, a Lincoln resident who said she collected the petition signatures and presented data she said show high reliance on Medicare and Medicaid for EMS runs.
Why it matters: Speakers said cuts to emergency services would have immediate public-safety consequences because call volumes and seasonal population increases have raised demands on Lincoln's police, fire and EMS. Many also warned that eliminating or sharply reducing recreation and events funding would harm local businesses that depend on visitors.
Councilor David Ireland defended his amendments as fulfillment of a campaign pledge to reduce spending and described his method for proposing cuts. "I'm taking a lot of flack, but I'm delivering on that promise," he said, arguing he scaled some budgets back toward earlier fiscal-year baselines and proposed shifting $201,000 from the town's TIF account toward fire and EMS to lessen harm to those services.
What residents said: Speakers representing first responders and volunteers urged caution and department visits before cuts. "Councilor Ireland's budget isn't the answer right now," said Danny Olson, vice president of Lincoln Fire Local 30308, describing two simultaneous fires and a medical call the same day and urging councilors to "sit with us for 06:12 24" (a reference to shift coverage) and discuss equipment and training costs.
Parents, business owners and taxpayers pressed for alternatives to layoffs and program eliminations, including pursuing grants, sharing services, fixing tax-assessment gaps and using multiyear capital plans. "Slow down, work together, communicate clearly, and choose solutions that make Lincoln stronger, not just cheaper," said Andrea Neland, a local business owner and registered nurse.
Procedure and transparency questions: Several speakers cited Section 6-02 of the town charter and said the materials posted for the hearing lacked the required itemized statements and revenue detail. Bette Mayo asked whether the council had received the town attorney’s opinion about the legality of the June 22 vote; counsel’s advice was read in the hearing as saying the meeting and vote were legal. Multiple residents asked for a line-by-line comparison of the town manager’s original budget and any council amendments before votes or a referendum.
Numbers cited: Erica Millett said her research showed that "over the last two years, 80 to 85% of all EMS runs performed by Lincoln EMS were billed to Medicare and Medicaid," and said recent police incident counts rose from 3,306 incidents in 2023 to 3,772 in 2025; those figures were presented to illustrate demand on emergency services. Councilor Ireland said Lincoln's annual revenues fell from about $9 million in FY2022 to roughly $4.7 million in the current request and described using FY2021 as a baseline when proposing department-level adjustments.
Next steps: Councilors said there would be a separate hearing to review the town manager’s revised budget before any final action; residents circulating a petition asked that amendments be placed on the ballot for a referendum. The meeting adjourned on a motion that passed 7-0.
"If this council truly believes that it's executing the will of the people, then you should have allowed this budget to go to referendum," Erica Millett said during public comment.
Reporting note: Quotes and attributions are taken from the public hearing transcript; where participants named multiple roles (for example, 'resident and taxpayer' or 'local business owner and registered nurse') the first reference includes those self-descriptions as stated at the mic.
